Bet Builder Tips: Martinez the man in this 50/1 Benfica v Inter Milan punt

Our tipster Shane O'Brien has been studying the stats for this Champions League showdown in Lisbon.

By / Football Tips / 1 year ago

Benfica v Inter Milan Bet Builder Tips

Benfica to win
Lautaro Martinez to have two or more shots on target
Lautaro Martinez to commit two or more fouls
Nicolo Barella to be shown a card
Benfica to have five or more shots on target

Benfica v Inter Milan – Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 11 – 8pm
BT Sport 1

Benfica to win

Benfica have not reached the semi-finals of the Champions League/European Cup since 1990, while Inter Milan have not done so since 2010, but both sides have an excellent chance to do so this year.

The former suffered a quarter-final defeat against Liverpool last season but will fancy their chances of going at least one round further. They have been excellent in Europe in 2022-23, topping a group with PSG and Juventus before easing past Club Brugge in the round-of-16.

Inter, on the other hand, have been less convincing. Simone Inzaghi’s side needed some questionable refereeing decisions to overcome Barcelona in the group stages before hanging on for dear life against Porto in the first knockout round.

Benfica are a level above Porto and are currently seven points ahead of their Portuguese rivals in the league and it’s hard to see anything but a victory for them here.

Lautaro Martinez to have two or more shots on target

No Inter Milan player has attempted more shots per game than Lautaro Martinez.

His woeful finishing in the World Cup final caught many people’s attention, but it also highlighted that he isn’t afraid to have a go.

The Argentinian forward averages 3.5 shots per game in Serie A and averages 2.1 shots per game in the Champions League.

He is the most likely Inter player to land an effort on targe and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him do it on two occasions.

Lautaro Martinez to commit two or more fouls

While Martinez ranks high among Inter Milan players in terms of shooting, he also ranks near the top in terms of fouls committed at an average 1.4 per game in Serie A, the second-highest of any Inter player.

He also averages a foul per game in Europe and is likely to at least match that here.

Playing against a Benfica side that has drawn an average of 11 fouls per game this season, Martinez is good value to commit two fouls.

Nicolo Barella to be shown a card

There is arguably no player more likely to receive a card than Nicolo Barella.

The Italian has received the second-most yellows of any Inter Milan player this season after Marcelo Brozovic, but considering the Croatian hardly ever starts, Barella is the best bet to pick up a card in Lisbon.

He has received five yellow cards in Serie A this season and one card in the Champions League.

He averages 1.4 fouls per game in Europe and there is every chance that he makes his way into the referee’s notebook.

Benfica to have five or more shots on target

Benfica have registered 47 shots on target in their eight Champions League games to date at an average of just under six per game and there is nothing to suggest that they won’t match that average here.

The Portuguese side have attempted an average of over 16 shots per game in all competitions this season and face an Inter side that has faced an average of 15 shots per game in Europe.

Benfica will surely do everything they can to make home advantage count and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them pepper the opposition goal with shots.

Benfica v Inter Milan Betting Tips

BET BUILDER

Benfica to win
Lautaro Martinez to have two or more shots on target
Lautaro Martinez to commit two or more fouls
Nicolo Barella to be shown a card
Benfica to have five or more shots on target

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

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